


Tell Me I’m Safe (You’ve Got Me Now)

by lil_Tasha



Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Juliet Higgins needs a Hug, Miggy - Freeform, Sad, Whump, but her boys are there for her, by her boys I mainly mean Magnum, im so mean to my faves oops, she has it really rough for the first like 2k words oops, she needs so many hugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:41:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25098577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lil_Tasha/pseuds/lil_Tasha
Summary: Higgins gets kidnapped and Magnum helps her to deal with the aftermath.
Relationships: Juliet Higgins & Everyone, Juliet Higgins & Original Character(s), Juliet Higgins & Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV, Juliet Higgins/Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV
Comments: 8
Kudos: 94





	Tell Me I’m Safe (You’ve Got Me Now)

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually the first oneshot I ever started for this fandom, but never finished it. Oops.
> 
> Here's a few songs to listen to while reading this and/or to add to your Miggy playlist:  
> \- Arms by Christina Perri  
> \- I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz  
> \- Look After You by Aron Wright  
> \- Rescue by Lauren Daigle  
> \- Superman by Rachel Platten  
> \- Take Me Home by Jess Glynne (this one inspired the title)
> 
> I didn't have a beta and I only halfway proofread this, so any mistakes are mine!

Four hours later and Juliet was still in shock. The blood splatter on her face had dried and the crimson puddle on the floor, pooled inches away from her feet, finally stopped creeping toward her. She couldn’t take her eyes off of it, nor the gunshot wound in the middle of the young girl’s forehead. The young girl she was supposed to protect.

There were four assailants, all larger and stronger than the ex MI6 agent. Under most circumstances, none of those factors would have phased her. However, when they ran Mister Masters’ Range Rover off the road and she found herself severely concussed and her asset unconscious, the tables turned.

Juliet fought hard, as she was trained to do. Then she turned her back on the one she _swore_ she had knocked out. Not her greatest idea as her feet were swept from underneath her the moment her back faced him. The wind was stolen from her lungs and her vision swam the moment she hit the dirt. Juliet brought her arms up to protect her head and face, leaving her abdomen exposed, and her four attackers quickly took advantage of this, their boots coming into contact with her now vulnerable body. She welcomed the darkness as pain consumed her.

An ear-splitting cry for help had Higgins jolting awake and on her feet. Her broken ribs and aching head didn’t agree with the sharp movement. The skin around her wrists stung when she tugged against the rope binding them tightly together behind her back. She couldn’t see, but she knew that wherever she was currently being held, it was cramped, and Juliet Higgins did _not_ like small spaces. Though before she could get in her head about it, she heard someone cry her name.

“Juliet!”

It was the same voice from just moments ago. _Her asset_.

“Juliet, please help!”

The girl she was supposed to be protecting.

“Juliet!”

She sounded close, in front of her, but definitely not in the same room.

Higgins called back. “Isabella?”

“No. No, please!”

There was shuffling and muffled voices arguing. Then she heard a gun being loaded.

“Please, no!”

Higgins struggled against her bindings, undeterred by feeling her skin tear. Though she stopped when a door flew open and light flooded into the room, briefly blinding her. The ex MI6 agent watched as Isabella was dragged right in front of her and pushed to her knees, the barrel of a gun pressed to the back of the eleven year old’s head. Juliet was all too familiar with the look in her eyes. It was a look she’d hoped to never see again.

There hadn’t been time for her muddled brain to process anything prior to the sound of the gunshot ringing throughout the entirely too small room and the warm blood splattering across her face. Isabella’s body slumped onto the grimy floor. She vaguely remembered a dim light being turned on as the men exited the room, leaving her dead asset bleeding out on the floor. The bullet was through and through Isabella’s head and Juliet didn’t register the burning in her thigh until one of the men returned to wrap a piece of fabric around her wound.

_Why not just let me bleed out?_ she pondered.

Juliet wasn’t exactly sure exactly how much time had gone by. She spent quite a bit drifting in and out of sleep, in addition to that, the light had been turned off at some point which meant she could no longer see Isabella’s body, but she had recently started smelling it. Based on this fact alone, the blonde assumed it had been at least seventy-two hours since Isabella was killed because on average, that’s about how long it took for a dead human body to start decomposing. She counted six times one of the men would come in to give her water, probably twice a day, and the one time after the first three visits to give her something to eat. The ten stale crackers and handful of sour fruit one of them fed her came back up nearly the moment he left when she forgot to breathe through her mouth instead of her nose.

The answer to her internal question came in the form of torture. As far as Juliet could tell, there was no reason for them to be torturing her. They never asked her for information on anything or even spoke a word toward her, she realized. _No_. What they wanted was to cause her pain. And that they did.

Waterboarding had been their first method. This form of torture wasn’t foreign to Juliet, but unfortunately for her, due to the injuries she’d sustained, she fell behind quickly, and nearly drowned five out of seven times. Asphyxiation was another method they attempted only once, being she passed out after a couple of seconds. Their last torture method was their most successful one— _sleep deprivation_. More times than she would have liked to recall, Juliet had gone days without sleep in the past, but she was always in better health going into it. But her current injuries and mental and emotional state were putting her at a severe disadvantage.

The hallucinations that came with three to four days of no sleep had begun around the time she threw up and rapidly worsened. Despite how much Juliet wished to sleep, one of the men coming into the room every so often kept her from closing her eyes for more than a few minutes. It was irritating, but she didn’t have the energy to make any witty remarks or fight, so she remained silent.

“Is she alive?” a male voice asked.

“Higgy,” another one murmured, sounding closer. She felt two fingers press to the pulse point in her neck. “I got a pulse.”

“Come on, Higgy, baby.” A large hand gently tapped her cheek. “Wake up.”

All three voices sounded familiar and she opened her eyes, squinting at the bright light shining through the doorway into the normally dark room.

_When did I fall asleep?_ she thought.

“We gotta get her out of here,” the second voice said.

The rope binding her hands behind her back was cut and her arms hung limp at her sides. Blood gradually worked its way back into her fingers, causing them to tingle almost uncomfortably. Someone lifted her off the floor and her eyes fluttered closed when the ceiling spun above her.

“Stay with us, Higgy.”

“Don’t go to sleep. We’re almost there.”

“Wake up. . .”

Her best efforts to remain conscious failed and their voices merged together, then everything around her faded into darkness.

“Wake up!”

The frigid water being thrown on Higgins was a very unwelcome shock to her system, in addition to the two pairs of hands roughly grabbing her arms, and yanking her up to her feet.

_When did I lie do—_

Her disorganized train of thought was derailed when she tripped over and then stepped on something soft. The wet _squish_ underneath her foot had her vomiting for more reasons than one. Besides the fact that was some part of Isabella’s body she just stepped on, it also meant a month, if not longer, had gone by.

“Keep moving,” the man on her left snapped, tugging her forward.

Juliet stumbled over her own feet as the two men dragged her out of the dark, small, musty room into a larger brighter one. It took a moment for her brain to notice they had stopped moving, but she did feel the cold metal bite into her skin as handcuffs encircled her marred wrists. Her arms were tugged above her head and something was tethered to the chain between the handcuffs. The toes of her shoes could hardly touch the floor beneath them and the ache in her arms that came with holding most of her body weight promptly settled into her weakened muscles.

A sudden and swift punch to the gut had her reeling and gasping for oxygen that suddenly wasn’t there. It was followed by _one, two, three, four_ more in quick succession, each carrying more force than the last.

On the sixth, Juliet gave in with a whispered, “Stop.”

Fingers tangled in her disheveled waves and wrenched her head back. She had to bite her lip to silence the cry that nearly escaped her chapped lips.

“What did you just say?” one of them asked.

“I think the pretty lady told us to stop,” another quipped in response.

The next punch landed in her left side this time, most likely from the man with his hand in her hair. “You don’t make the demands around here,” he hissed. “We do.”

Her hair was released and he punched her in the side again, causing her to cough up a frightening amount of blood. She missed the fist flying toward her head, but the exploding pain that spread throughout her temples was difficult to ignore. Fortunately, it didn’t last for very long because she was unconscious moments later from a solid blow to the back of her head.

“Is that her?”

“Yeah, it’s her.”

Warm fingers pressed against the side of her neck and she heard a muffled, “I got a pulse.”

The handcuffs were unlocked and arms wrapped around her torso to keep her from collapsing onto the floor. Despite the shockwave of pain the pressure sent through her body, she had no energy to tell whomever was currently holding her that it hurt, and to _please, let go_.

“Higgy?”

“Wake up, Higgins. We’re here. We got you.”

“What the hell happened to her?”

“I don’t know, but whoever did this to her needs to be found.”

Her eyes cracked open when a hand gently, but persistently patted her cheek.

“There she is.”

She blearily stared up at the face hovering above her. Though blurry, it was familiar. Two more familiar faces entered her line of sight.

_This can’t be real_ , she thought. _They’re not real_.

Her disoriented brain couldn’t process the information suddenly presented to it and her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she blacked out.

The next time Higgins awoke, it wasn’t to darkness or the smell of rotting flesh. Instead, she found herself in a comfortable bed— _her_ bed—in what had to have been her room at Mister Masters’ estate. Zeus and Apollo were lying at her feet. Looking to her left, she saw Magnum asleep in a chair next to a medical monitor. Her eyes followed the wires and IVs attached to it down to herself and arm, in addition to a pristine white bandage wrapped around her wrist, then back up to the monitor which began beeping rapidly seconds later. Magnum was alert and directly at her side in an instant and the lads were at her right whining softly.

“Higgy, it’s okay. You’re safe.”

She watched his lips move as they formed words, but the sound of her choked breaths in her ears drowned out his voice. The panicky confusion must have been evident on her face because he stopped talking and gestured to her hand before meeting her eyes. At her nod, he captured her hand in his and held it over his heart. Much to his surprise, Zeus and Apollo remained quiet and motionless, their eyes focused on Higgins.

It took nearly a dozen calm deep breaths for her heart rate to finally slow down and the panic raging within her to settle. Even the lads relaxed next to her and lay down, their heads resting on her leg. At some point, Higgins’ fingers had gripped Magnum’s shirt and he’d held onto her hand just a little tighter. Neither of them seemed to notice or mind.

“Are you with me?” he asked quietly.

Tears pricked her eyes and her voice cracked slightly when she replied, “Am I?”

Higgins didn’t know what to trust anymore. Her mind and eyes had been deceiving her for—well, she wasn’t even sure how long. Countless “rescues” from her friends only for reality to be a cramped, dark, rancid smelling room with rope biting into her wrists or what felt like endless rounds of torture.

“I promise, Higgy, you’re safe,” he assured her.

But she wasn’t convinced. “You said that the last time. And every time before that. But I always ended up back there with _them_.”

Magnum’s face softened in understanding. “I know you’re on edge right now. Believe me, I get it. But you’re not back there. You’re here, in your room at Robin’s nest with me and the hounds from hell.” Zeus and Apollo’s ears perked up at that. “Kumu, Rick, and TC are outside your door. We’re all here with and for you, Higgy, and I promise you, we’re going to help you get through this. You’re safe. Okay?”

A tear trekked down her bruised cheek as his words gradually set in and she nodded. “Okay.”

He gave her hand a final gentle squeeze before letting it go and leaning back in the chair. She released his shirt and wiped her face, gaze shifting to Zeus and Apollo who were staring intently at her.

“Hi, lads,” she whispered, patting their heads as they nuzzled their noses gently against her leg. “Have they been here since. . .” she trailed off, hand pausing its movement.

“The second we got you back here, we couldn’t get them to leave your side. They missed you.”

The ex MI6 agent nodded, hand resuming its previous action. “How long was I gone for?”

Magnum hesitated, then answered, “Sixty-four days and fourteen hours.”

Her heart rate spiked briefly, but she showed no other outward signs of a reaction to his answer, and simply continued rubbing the lads’ heads. It helped her remain grounded. “How bad was I when you found me?”

His tone sounded pleading when he spoke. “Higgy, I don’t really think—“

She looked at him, cutting his words short with an icy stare, and firm voice. “Just tell me, Magnum.”

He sighed because he truly could empathize with her. The need to have some idea as to what happened and to feel in control of _something._ “You were hanging from the ceiling when we found you, handcuffs digging into your wrists which we later were told had been infected, and you had a fever due to that. Rick, TC, and I almost didn’t think you would make it back to the estate. We called Robin because we know you hate hospitals and he contacted a great doctor to help us with you when we brought you here. You were hysterical, probably from dehydration and the fever the infection brought on, and wouldn’t stop shivering. She had to remove a bullet from your left thigh after stabilizing you. She said it’s a miracle you didn’t lose your leg, but luckily the bullet hadn’t nicked an artery, or you likely would’ve bled out before we ever found you.”

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a shuddering breath, then stared at the floor as he kept speaking.

“Between the infection and nerve damage, she isn’t sure if you’ll ever fully regain feeling or range of motion in either of your hands, and the scarring around your wrists is going to be extensive. You also suffered nine broken ribs, thankfully none of them punctured a lung, a lot of deep bruises and some cuts, a severe concussion, and you lost about fifteen pounds which has left you quite underweight.” Magnum met her eyes again and Juliet cursed herself for not being able to read the expression written clearly across his face. “She had to drain water from your lungs.”

She winced at that, the harrowing memory of being waterboarded now at the forefront of her thoughts. “I don’t. . .we’re not discussing that.”

His eyebrows drew together and he tilted his head to the side in question. “Higgins, did they—“

_“Thomas,”_ she warned, eyes and tone willing him to back off, and _stop talking_. Right away, the lads picked up on her change in demeanor, their heads lifting from where they were perched on her leg, white teeth bared to Magnum, and a growl low in their throats. Physically, he may have not been a threat, but emotionally and mentally he was a current hazard to her wellbeing.

In a matter of seconds, the monitor beside them went from a peaceful steady beeping to obnoxiously loud and accelerated and suddenly, Juliet felt like she was drowning again. Her fingers gripped the bedsheets and her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe. When Magnum made an effort to move, Zeus and Apollo’s growls grew louder and they stood, so he stilled. The bedroom door opened and the doctor caring for Higgins rushed into the room. Apollo whipped his head to the right, eyes narrowing at the woman who slowed and raised her hands as she neared the bed to show she posed no threat to the majordomo. After a moment or two of consideration, he returned his attention to Magnum.

The doctor, Doctor Kawai, deliberately placed herself in between him and the bed. “I think it’s best that you leave, Mister Magnum,” she told the PI, her statement leaving zero room for disagreement on his part.

Cautiously, Magnum rose to his feet and headed to the door, Zeus and Apollo scrutinizing him every step of the way, but allowing him to leave without running him down. Once the door clicked closed, they quieted, and resumed their focus on Higgins.

“Juliet? It’s Doctor Kawai.” She sat on the edge of the bed and moved directly into her line of sight. “Can you hear my voice?”

Somewhere amid the chaos swiftly consuming her brain, Higgins managed to give the smallest of nods. She had broken out in a sweat at some point and was beginning to feel lightheaded. Thankfully, she didn’t have to even attempt to communicate these things because Kawai noticed. The woman exited her sightline momentarily before reappearing, an oxygen mask in hand. She held it up.

“I’m going to put this oxygen mask on your face to help you breathe, okay?” She placed it over Higgins’ nose and mouth and pulled the elastic band in place behind her head. “Now I want you to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Can you do that for me?”

Higgins’ eyes darted around the room, unable to focus on the woman leaning in front of her. The logical side of her brain tried to tell her this mask was supposed to be helping her breathe. Her lungs were begging her to _just take a deep breath, dammit_. But she couldn’t—

Doctor Kawai’s voice cut through her panic. “Juliet. Look at me. Focus on me.”

But she shook her head, eyes squeezing shut. “Take it off. I need it off. I can’t breathe. _Take it off_.” The words tumbled from her mouth quicker than her brain could even process what she was saying.

“Okay. I’m taking it off.”

The moment the breathing mask was removed, the wave of nausea hit Juliet with a dizzying speed, and she leaned over the side of the bed just as the burning acid came up. Kawai held onto her shoulders to keep her from falling off the bed.

In between the retching, the doctor still heard her gasping for breath, as well as a few sobs. When her eyes left her patient’s face and glanced to the floor, she noticed the blood.

_Not good_.

“Someone dial 911! Juliet needs a hospital right now!” she called out and the door flew open not long after.

Thomas was the first to enter, followed closely by TC, Rick, and Kumu. Zeus and Apollo were so preoccupied with watching Higgins that they paid no mind to the four extra bodies in the room.

“I need an ambulance to Mister Masters’ estate right now,” Kumu spoke into the phone.

“What’s going on?” Thomas asked, nearing the bed.

Kawai smoothed a hand up and down Juliet’s back as she continued to heave. “She’s throwing up blood. I’m afraid it could mean one of her lungs has been punctured and there’s internal bleeding. If that’s the case, I can’t do anything for her, and she needs to get to a hospital as soon as possible.”

“ _Mahalo_.” Kumu hung up the phone. “An ambulance is five minutes out,” she informed them.

Higgins groaned, lying back against the bed, eyes still closed. She finally felt like she could breathe again and the world gradually came back into focus once she opened her eyes. Seven sets of eyes were staring back at her. “I’m _not_ going to a hospital,” she stated, hand coming up to her throbbing head.

“As your doctor, I’m telling you it’s medically necessary for you to be at a hospital right now,” Kawai told her, eyebrows raised. “You just threw up blood and may be bleeding internally. It’s possibly life or death at this point, Juliet.”

Thomas spoke before the majordomo could come back with the lie he knew she would try to tell. “You’re not fine, Higgy. We’re all worried about you and just want what’s best for you. If that means you need to go to the hospital, we’ll go with you, and stay by your side for as long as we’re allowed to.”

“You know you’re family, Higgy baby,” TC added.

Just talk of going to a hospital made the blonde sick and another wave of nausea had her leaning over the side of the bed. This time though, she passed out.

Waking up from anesthesia was never fun. The heavy fog of grogginess that seemed impossible to ward off. The pain dulled down to almost nothing, but still there, and a nuisance. Everything around Juliet was muffled and she felt the breathing mask smothering her before noticing much of anything else. Fortunately, the panic didn’t have a chance to set in because someone was removing the mask from her face. She inhaled deeply, the movement aggravating her injured ribs, but at the moment, she didn’t care. Hesitantly opening her eyes, the world around her abruptly came into clear view and everything was _too loud_.

“I can’t be here,” she murmured. “I have to get out of here.” She attempted to push herself up, but her body immediately protested, and pain dug its claws into her.

Magnum shook his head. “Higgy, I know you don’t want to, but you have to stay here,” he told the majordomo, hands gentle as they applied just enough pressure to her shoulders to keep her settled.

Higgins fought against him with the little strength her weak body possessed. “No, no, no,” she cried, eyes wide, and tears seeming to appear from nowhere as they rolled down her cheeks. “Let me go, please.”

It didn’t take long for the PI to cave and hit the call button for her doctor as she only grew more agitated with each second that passed. Amid the hysteria, she managed to throw a right hook, catching him across his jaw.

“Higgins,” he grumbled, trapping her fist in his hand when it came flying toward his face again.

“Let me go!”

Doctor Kawai entered, flanked by two other nurses. All three women rushed toward the bed, and somehow, Juliet’s eyes got wider. Her feet kicked out, one barely missing Magnum, and the other held down by a nurse.

“We need to get her hysteria under control before she hurts someone or herself,” Kawai spoke to the other two. “Sedate her for now.”

The lorazepam was fast acting. Magnum felt Juliet’s body relax under his hands and watched her eyes roll back as she fell unconscious. Both he and the nurse holding her released her and stepped back.

“What happened, Mister Magnum?” Kawai asked.

“I removed the breathing mask the second I noticed she was awake because I knew she’d panic. Then all of a sudden she started freaking out. I tried to hold her still and get through to her, but that made it worse, so I hit the call button,” he explained, glancing over at his partner with a regretful look in his eyes.

“Alright. Well, thank you for being here for her. For now, I’m going to have you leave while we check over her wounds to make sure she didn’t rip any of her stitches. I’ll let you know when you can come back in,” Kawai informed him.

Magnum simply nodded in response, leaving the room without uttering another word. He couldn’t do a single thing to help Higgins for the time being, so there was no use in him attempting to argue with the doctor.

“How is she?” Kumu asked, rising from her chair in the waiting area when the PI approached.

“They had to sedate her because she panicked when she woke up,” he answered with a sigh.

“I don’t remember you having that bruise on your face before,” Rick pointed out.

“She threw a right hook. I caught her before she could get another one in though.”

His friends cringed.

“You think she’ll be okay?” TC questioned. “I know it’s Higgy, but what happened to her….it would be a lot for anyone to handle.”

Magnum rubbed a hand over his face. “She’s strong, I have no doubt about that. But even strong people have a limit, so I’m really not sure. I saw the look in her eyes back there and I remember how terrified she looked when we found her.” He shook his head and sat down in one of the chairs. “I will never forget it.”

Rick and TC sat on either side of him and Kumu across from them.

“We’ll be here to help her, Thomas,” she said softly.

“Yeah, man. We’ve got her back just like we’ve had yours all these years,” Rick added with a small smile.

Three days later, Higgins was discharged from the hospital, and despite her insistence she wouldn’t need it, with enough lorazepam to get her through the next twenty-four hours and a prescription for it from Doctor Kawai. Magnum, of course, had been there to pick her up, and take her back to Robin’s Nest, though not before getting her prescription filled.

“I’m not going to need it,” she complained drowsily as they left the pharmacy. Her tone was probably meant to have more bite, but in her drug induced haze, it was soft and lacking in any venom.

“Isn’t it better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it?”

The majordomo sent her best glare in his direction, except it resembled more of a pout than her usual menacing narrowed eyes and scowl. “This stop was a waste of time.”

Magnum chuckled, pulling up to the estate. “We’re already back at Robin’s Nest.”

_“But,”_ she started, “we could’ve been here sooner if we hadn’t stopped at the pharmacy.”

He shook his head, exiting the Ferari. “It didn’t take that long.” He rounded the vehicle in case she wanted help. “What are you in such a rush for anyway?”

“I have work to do,” Higgins replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world, movements slow as she maneuvered her way out of the car, and got to her feet.

“Doctor Kawai didn’t discharge you for you to come sit in front of a computer for hours,” the PI reminded her gently. “You should be—”

She bristled and the look she fixed him with this time actually made him pause and he realized his mistake. “I should be _what,_ Thomas? It’s not like you’re a model patient, so who are you to tell me what I should and shouldn’t be doing right now?” And her words stung quite a bit.

“You’re right,” he admitted. “I’m no model patient myself and I’m certainly no doctor either. I didn’t mean to come at you like that. I’m sorry.” He watched her shoulders drop and her jaw relax. “You know I just want what’s best for you and to help you in any way I can.”

“I know you do,” she murmured. “And I apologize for snapping at you.”

He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”

They walked inside together, Magnum hovering close by, and were instantly greeted by the lads. She acknowledged them with a fleeting pet on the head, then went straight to her room. It was only 8:16pm, but whether or not Higgins chose to admit it, the nagging pain attempting to fight the lingering drugs in her system had her desiring to get off of her feet for a while.

Regardless of still being in her street clothes, she climbed into her bed because changing would require that much more effort. At least kicking her shoes off had been easy. But the pull on her stitches when shifted the wrong way caused a few hushed curses to tumble from her lips.

“Did you need anything?”

“I’ll be fine.” She lay down. “You can go.”

He didn’t believe her and treaded lightly. “I don’t mind staying if you want some company.”

Having him there to keep her awake would be nice. It’s not like sleeping was at the top of her priorities list anyway.

“If you insist,” she finally replied.

Despite his consistent outpour of words and her determination to remain awake, she ultimately couldn’t fight the fatigue, and fell asleep. However, the nightmares welcomed themselves and within minutes, she woke up gasping, hands scrabbling at her face. Magnum rushed to her side to grasp them in between his.

“Hey, you’re alright. It’s not there anymore. Just breathe.” Because he knew exactly what had plagued her in her sleep. “Just breathe.”

Her face was red and pinched, chest heaving, and sides aching.

“Higgins, breathe,” he said again.

She nodded and commanded her lungs to cooperate. But they fiercely protested and made the simple task unnecessarily difficult.

Magnum’s voice interrupted her inner turmoil. “Breathe with me.” And he pressed one of her hands to his chest. “Breathe with me, Higgins.”

_Inhale._

_Exhale._

_Inhale._

_Exhale._

“You’re okay,” he soothed and watched something visibly snap in her eyes. A tear trekked down her cheek. “Higgy, you’re okay. I promise.”

She shook her head, one tear after another escaping her wide eyes. “I can’t,” she gasped.

“Hey, look at me.”

Higgins eyes met his and their gazes locked.

“Yes, you can. I know you and I know you can.”

“I’m _scared,_ Thomas,” the majordomo confessed, voice trembling. “What if I can’t get past this?”

He captured both of her hands and intertwined their fingers and reassured her, “What you went through was terrible and something no one should ever have to experience. However, I also know you’re a strong woman and you’re going to get through this. I’ll be right by your side the entire time to support and help you. Rick, TC, and Kumu will be, too. We’ve got you and you’ve got this.” Magnum leaned forward to press his forehead against hers. “Alright?”

She slowly nodded and neither of them had realized her breathing slowed while he was speaking to her.

“I know that was difficult for you to admit,” he murmured, “and that expressing how you feel doesn’t come naturally for you. I’m glad you told me because I care about you a lot and I really do want to help you, but I can’t do that if you’re not honest with me. So thank you.”

“The more time I spend around you, it’s gradually becoming easier to….discuss my feelings with you.” Her eyes closed with a soft sigh. “There haven’t been very many people in my life I’ve felt _this_ comfortable and safe being around both physically and emotionally.”

He smiled and squeezed her hands. “I’m honored to be someone like that in your life.”

“And I’m grateful.” _For you,_ she thought.

**Author's Note:**

> I know there's probably a couple of medical inaccuracies in there, but for the sake of fiction, we can just not speak of them. 👀
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this!


End file.
